ATLANTA and LONDON, July 7, 2016 — Blancco Technology Group (LON: BLTG) today announced it has appointed renowned IT security veteran and former Gartner analyst Richard Stiennon as Chief Strategy Officer, effective July 1, 2016. In this newly created role, Stiennon is responsible for leading the company’s overall corporate strategy, including long-term strategic planning, product positioning, public affairs, analyst relations, joint ventures and industry partnerships. He reports directly into CEO, Pat Clawson.

“Richard is a powerhouse of security information, knowledge and expertise,” said Pat Clawson, CEO, Blancco Technology Group. “As a seasoned IT security expert and former Gartner research analyst, he has this distinctive ability to unravel the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind various types of security threats and the impact they can have on businesses. That is exactly the type of foresight and leadership we need to move Blancco Technology Group forward into the next year to deliver strategic guidance, educational resources and long-term value to the businesses we serve. With Richard guiding our strategy, I envision further innovation, resulting in strong growth for our business.”

Most recently, Stiennon served as Chief Research Analyst at IT-Harvest, where he researched and reported on over 1,400 IT security vendors. Many in the industry recognize him from his days as Vice President of Research at Gartner Inc. from 2000 to 2004, where his forward-thinking insights and questioning of the corporate status quo earned him Gartner’s Thought Leadership Award in 2003. His analysis of data security trends also led to an impressive profile in Network World’s list of “The 50 Most Powerful People in Networking.”

Touted as one of the most prolific and trusted security intellectuals in the world, Richard has also written three thought-provoking books on the alarming state of cyber war and its impact on businesses: Surviving Cyberwar, UP and to the RIGHT: Strategy and Tactics of Analyst Influence and There Will Be Cyberwar: How the Move to Network-Centric Warfighting Set the Stage for Cyberwar. His most recent book, There Will Be Cyberwar, provides a glaring look into the vulnerabilities in the Internet of Military Things and became a Washington Post bestseller in April 2016.

“Over the course of my career, I’ve learned that there is no single ‘scary’ threat to data security,” said Richard Stiennon, Chief Strategy Officer, Blancco Technology Group. “But because many organizations don’t fully understand how to properly manage their data and devices across the entire lifecycle, specifically data removal, it’s quite common for businesses to relegate data removal lower on their list of overall IT security priorities. But as recent data breaches have shown, this lack of knowledge and prioritization is often the culprit behind a potential security risk becoming a serious data breach. Seeing Blancco Technology Group’s unique technology as a critical tool in solving this problem, I felt compelled to join the company in its mission to increase awareness and education about this important, but overlooked security issue.”

Over the course of his career, he has never shied away from voicing his opinions on data security and privacy, challenging the corporate status quo and fostering productive dialogues to improve how companies approach and improve data security. He has since become one of the most sought-after speakers at over 28 conferences across three continents, including RSA, CeBIT, AusCERT and National Fintech Cybersecurity Summit. In addition to writing his monthly ‘Cyber Domain’ column for Forbes, he is frequently quoted in major news publications, including The Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today, Christian Science Monitor, Dark Reading, GigaOm, Re/Code, TechCrunch, and ZDNet.

About Blancco Technology Group

Blancco Technology Group is a leading global provider of mobile device diagnostics and secure data erasure solutions. We help our clients’ customers test, diagnose, repair and repurpose IT devices with the most proven and certified software. Our clientele consists of equipment manufacturers, mobile network operators, retailers, financial institutions, healthcare providers and government organizations worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alpharetta, GA, United States, with a distributed workforce and customer base across the globe.

Blancco, a division of Blancco Technology Group, is the global de facto standard in certified data erasure. We provide thousands of organizations with an absolute line of defense against costly security breaches, as well as verification of regulatory compliance through a 100% tamper-proof audit trail.

SmartChk, a division of Blancco Technology Group, is a global innovator in mobile asset diagnostics and business intelligence. We partner with our customers to improve their customers’ experience by providing seamless solutions to test, diagnose and repair mobile assets. SmartChk provides world-class support, pre and post implementation, allowing our customers to derive measurable business results.

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